Treatment: Clinical Thesis for receiving the master degree in psychology (MA)
Abstract
The present research was conducted with the aim of determining the effectiveness of therapy schemas on reducing marital conflicts and increasing the mental health of married students. In this research, a quasi-experimental method (pre-test, post-test with a control group) was used. The statistical population of this research is all married students of Garmsar University, who in the year 1392-1393 were studying. The sampling method in this research was random. In this way, in this research, 100 married students were randomly selected and the marital conflict and mental health questionnaire was administered as a pre-test. Then, 30 people who got the lowest score were randomly replaced in two groups of 15 people, experimental and control. The experimental group received schema therapy training in 8 sessions, while the control group did not receive any training. Then a post-test was taken from both groups to compare the results of the two groups. The data collection tool was Goldberg's marital conflict questionnaire (MCQ) and mental health. In the present study, covariance analysis was used to test the hypotheses. The findings showed that teaching therapeutic schemas has been effective in increasing the mental health of married students. Also, the results showed that with 95% certainty, it can be said that therapeutic schemas are effective in reducing marital conflicts of married students.
-Introduction
Regarding the problem of the researcher, with attention to reducing the problems of marital conflicts, which is one of the basic responsibilities of the field of counseling and psychology in any society, he compiled the present study in order to provide practical suggestions for counselors in the field of family therapy, and therefore, his thesis is divided into five separate chapters. In the first chapter, the generalities of the research, which include the statement of the problem, the importance and necessity of the research, the objectives and hypotheses, and the definitions of the words, have been discussed. In the second chapter, the foundations and theoretical framework and research background are mentioned, and in the third chapter, the statistical method and population, sampling, sample size, and research tools are discussed. Next, in the fourth chapter, descriptive and inferential analysis is done, and in the fifth chapter, the researcher draws conclusions and presents limitations and suggestions.
Statement of the problem
Choosing a wife is one of the first emotional and legal obligations of people and one of the most important decisions in life. Marriage is not a short-term and aimless temporary decision at some point in life, but rather choosing a path that requires one's abilities and merits. Therefore, the decision to marry and live together, especially in today's social, cultural, and economic conditions, requires maturity, maturity and ability in various fields, and it turns this issue into a specialized and complex issue (Shamsai, 2017). Satisfaction with married life is the objective feeling of satisfaction, satisfaction and pleasure experienced by a woman or a man, when they consider all the common aspects of their life (Alice[1], 1986, quoted by Bardbar, 2018). Marital satisfaction is a multi-dimensional concept that includes various factors and these factors play a role in overall satisfaction or dissatisfaction with relationships, and in general, every couple has different expectations from their relationships. Creating the character of commitment and its follower, the ability to establish a sincere relationship with the opposite sex (spouse) leads to attachment, support, love and participation in the emotional relationship that comes from maturity. And as a result, lack of attachment, lack of love, lack of support is the basis for marital conflicts that can lead to divorce (Lindsey[2], 2010).
But today, although divorce leads to the disintegration of the family, this family failure has many harmful effects, both for the parents and for the children of that family, but this phenomenon is increasing in many countries. In America, one out of every two marriages leads to divorce, and every Every year, one million children experience the divorce and separation of their parents (Fagan Worktor, 2010).[3]
Iran is not an exception to this rule, the Civil Registry Organization of the country reports an increase in divorce in the organization in 1389 compared to 1388, by 15%. Also, this organization reports a 23% increase in divorce in 1389 compared to the previous 5 years. According to the statistics of 1388, one divorce was registered for every 13 marriages, while in 1388, one divorce was registered for every 10/6 marriages, which shows a relative increase in the number of divorces in the country (website of the country's statistical organization, 1390).
Marriage is the origin of the family and the family is the first and the most unique social institution that the health and success of a society depends on the health and satisfaction of its members with each other (Goldenberg and Herbert [4], 2000). The main pillar of the family is married life. If the marital relationship is healthy, the family structure will remain healthy and the functioning of the members will also reach an ideal level (Brad Shaw[5], 2010). A healthy family can increase the mental and physical health of the husband and wife and their children, and the health of the family depends on the health and continuity of the relationship between the husband and wife, and on the other hand, it is natural for differences and conflicts to arise between husband and wife. (Ellis [6] 1995, translated by Salehi, 2015) Due to the nature of the interaction of couples, it sometimes happens that disagreements occur and as a result, couples feel angry, disappointed and dissatisfied with each other. Therefore, in marriage, it should be assumed that the occurrence of conflict is part of the marital relationship and cohabitation. (same source). Conflict is defined as a type of interaction in which people express opposing desires, views, and opinions (Klein [7], Pleasant [8], Whiten [9] and Markman [10], 2006) and wherever there is disagreement, difference or incompatibility between spouses, conflict arises. Conflict is not always negative, but the way couples manage their conflict may have a negative impact on the relationship (Guttman[11] and Silver[12], 2009). Couples who can manage conflict in the relationship by using positive methods and using less negative interactions create an environment where there will be more opportunity for self-disclosure and agreement about family problems (Johansson[13], 2012). Research has shown that problematic relationships lead to problems in physical and mental health, in addition, there is a relationship between marital problems, the level of marital conflicts, marital compatibility and depression symptoms. (Beach[14], Fincham[15] and Katz[16], 2008). Each of these are dangerous factors for disease, so the quality of marital relations is considered an important predictor for mental health.
Mental health requires a healthy environment and living conditions in addition to a healthy body. How the environment and its various factors affect the physical and mental structure of a person and how a person fights with environmental conflicts is a matter that different approaches of psychology have explained the mental health of a person in a special way according to their own perspective on the nature of man and his motivational force. For example, some of these approaches have considered mental health as a continuous process, while others have looked for it in the form of norms and following social customs and traditions, and another group has paid attention to both aspects. For example, psychiatry and clinical psychology in psychopathology have emphasized the principle of a normal human being and consider normality or health to be equivalent to "absence of disease symptoms", but the current state of psychology in the world indicates that psychologists pay a lot of attention to the concept of health in a form beyond normality and the absence of disease symptoms (Azad, 2016). Mental health is the ability of people to achieve the goals they have set for themselves (Pati[17], 2005).
The family is the most important social institution in human society, and it has wide effects in terms of character development and upbringing in children, as well as in terms of the individual's subsequent adaptation to society. Many sociologists and psychologists believe that the root of many personality deviations should be found in the initial family upbringing. and because, if the origin of many behavioral deviations and various types of mental illnesses is investigated, the role of family upbringing in the quality of personality development will be revealed (Farjad, 2017).
It should be said that with the increase of conflict in marital relationships, incompatibility increases and more dissatisfaction is obtained, and these problems are considered as prerequisites for divorce and separation (Yang and Long[18], 1998). These problems include anxiety disorders (Das, Simpson and Christens [19], 2009), depression (Kevin, Thompson and Palmer [20], 2012), children and adolescents' maladjustment and aggression (Jerrad and Buhler [21], 2008), eating disorders and heavy alcohol consumption (Fincham, 2008) and physical diseases such as heart ailments (Sales and Bond [22], 2010), behaviors that are rooted in primary schemas.
Schema is generally defined as structure [23], template [24] or framework [25].